


Golden Hour

by Silenton



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Art, Awkward Dates, Basically an AU where Sean & Finn get together w/o actually going through w/ the heist plan, Drawing, Drugs, First Dates, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Mommy Issues, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Payback, Pining, Recreational Drug Use, Sean/Finn is still the main focus, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, Slight instance of Sean/Jenn, Smoking, Songfic, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-08 11:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19105792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silenton/pseuds/Silenton
Summary: A collection of Fean-based one shots, inspired by the albumGolden Hourby Kacey Musgraves.





	1. i. Slow Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'm alright with a slow burn_   
>  _Taking my time, let the world turn_   
>  _I'm gonna do it my way, it'll be alright_   
>  _If we burn it down and it takes all night_   
>  _It's a slow burn_

Inspiration: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC7cmWkBoz4>

 

Sean awoke to the sound of cheerful banter and the smell of coffee. He sat up slowly and looked around the tent, rubbing the last bit of sleep from his eyes. He looked to his side and smiled. There sat Daniel, snoring softly as he was deep in sleep. _“This is the most peaceful I’ve seen him in a while,”_ he thought to himself. Sighing softly, he got dressed and exited the tent, zipping it back up as he left.

He walked slowly towards the makeshift kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down. He tried to carry the conversation with Hannah and Penny, but only found his mind going back to last night, the time spent with his new friends. The pounding of the music, the conversations with Anders, Hannah, Ingrid, Jacob, and Penny, the stinging pain of the tattoo Cassidy gave him (a small clearing of pine trees located on his inner forearm), and the kiss he shared with Finn. No matter what, all his thoughts came back to that moment shared with Finn, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. And one thing Finn said rang loudly in his mind.

 

“...And I thought it would be cool if you… and Daniel… stayed with us after we’re done…” Sean sipped slowly, smiling into his mug. _“Finn wants_ us _to stay_ here _.”_ His train of thought was disrupted when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, sweetie. How are you doing this fine morning?” Sean turned his head behind him, eyes meeting with Finn’s. “What are you thinkin’ ‘bout?” Sean’s eyes widened.

“Oh, nothing important.” He took another sip from his mug, before looking back at the boy, who found a seat next to him. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he said, “just think you look hot when you’re so deep in thought.” Sean scoffed and playfully punched him in the shoulder. Finn pretended to rub it in pain, before wrapping his arm around Sean’s shoulder. Before long, he found himself kissing the boy. It felt just as good and right and magical as it did the first time, if not even better. He felt like he could’ve stayed in this moment forever, if it wasn’t for the feigned gagging from Hannah, and Penny’s failed attempts to stifle his laughter.

  
_“C’ mon, you two. Get a room already.”_ Finn turned his head, pointing his finger to Hannah while jokingly telling her off about minding her business. Sean laughed, picking up his mug and taking another slow sip. After a while, the other two left to do _whatever_ they do during their free time, leaving the two lovebirds alone. Sean leaned on Finn, the latter boy’s arm once again wrapped around his sweetheart’s shoulder. Sean had made up his mind. He wanted to stay here. With Finn, Cassidy, Penny, Hannah, Jacob, Ingrid & Anders, and whoever else may come and go. For the first time in a long, long while, Sean felt like he could finally call this place, these people home. A place where he and Daniel could settle down, without worrying about running from the cops, where and when their next meal is going to be. It didn’t matter how long it took. As long as Finn was here with him, he felt alright.


	2. ii. Lonely Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It's a lo-, it's a lo-, it's a lonely weekend_   
>  _It's a lo-, it's a lo-, it's a lonely feelin' without you_   
>  _I guess everybody else is out tonight_   
>  _Guess I'm hangin' by myself, but I don't mind_   
>  _It's a lo-, it's a lo-, it's a lonely weekend_   
>  _It's a lo-, it's a lo-, it's a lonely weekend_

Inspiration: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr3gscRpAhA>

 

Sean laid on the shore of the lake, his head resting in the grass, his arms behind his head. Just a few feet away was Daniel, running through the water, his pant legs rolled all the way up to his knees, his socks and shoes strewn across the shore. Everyone was already long gone, working on a small landscaping project that Merrill had offered to everyone for extra pay. Sean tried every which way he could to keep his mind occupied; counting the clouds and the birds that passed by, counting individual blades of grass that he picked from the ground, humming along to whatever song he could think of at the moment, but nothing had worked so far. Despite his best efforts, his mind raced back to the empty space beside him, the space that should’ve been filled by Finn.

 

Sure, Finn had to work to earn his keep like everybody else, but this time, this place. It felt… empty, without Finn’s loud-and-proud presence that filled the atmosphere whenever he was around. All he wanted at that moment was for Finn to be here with him.

“SEAN!” He sat up suddenly, looking forward. Daniel stood, his arms reaching out to his side whilst spinning around. “Come on in, the water’s  _ great _ !” Sean sat there for a moment, before sighing.

 

“Coming! Just a second,  _ enano _ ." Sean slowly untied the laces on his boots, before slipping them off, throwing his socks off as well in the process. After standing up and rolling up his own pant legs, he gingerly stepped into the water. “ _ Sh-shit! _ So cold!” Daniel huffed, crossing his arms.

“Don’t be such a baby, it’s not _ that _ bad.” Discreetly, he bent over, collecting a pool of water in his cupped hands, before throwing it all at Sean. He shrieked in return.

He stood there for a second in shock, the water dripping down his face before returning the favor, Daniel yelping just as loudly. Soon, it developed into an absolute war between the two, the sounds of splashing water and laughter filling the afternoon. After a long while, the two were soaking wet.

“Go ahead and dry off without me,  _ enano _ , I’ll help dry our clothes when I get there.” Daniel left, leaving Sean standing alone in the lake, watching him leave.  _ “I think,” _ he thought to himself, “ _ I’m fine here… without Finn around all the time. Daniel’s here, and I think that’s all I need.” _


	3. iii. Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Now, you're lifting me up 'stead of holding me down_   
>  _Stealing my heart 'stead of taking my crown_   
>  _Untangled all the strings 'round my wings that were tied_   
>  _I didn't know him and I didn't know me_   
>  _Cloud Nine was always out of reach_   
>  _Now, I remember what it feels like to fly_   
>  _You give me butterflies_

Inspiration: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3l-ovZQY4M>

 

Sean had decided that the first sign of what was going on was when Daniel kept vying for his attention throughout the whole day. Daniel, Daniel Diaz, the one who was so eager to get out from Sean’s watch and do his own thing. But at that moment, Sean didn’t seem to mind. Honestly, he enjoyed the time spent with his brother, the first time he had acted his own age in a long, long while. No matter where Sean went, Daniel was following right behind, trying to get his attention. Whether it was forcing him to play along with him and his toys or doing work around the camp, Daniel was quick to be by his older brother’s side.

Later that evening, Daniel told Sean that he needed to head down to the lake. He left shortly after, closing himself in their shared tent. _“So much for our day today, I guess.”_ He snickered to himself, making his way down to the lake. He stopped as soon as he reached the clearing, seeing Penny standing all alone by the sign. Their eyes meeting, Penny smiled.

“Sean! So glad to see you!” Penny hugged him, which Sean found odd, but Penny was usually a pretty odd guy, so he didn’t think much of it. Leaving his grasp, he noticed that Penny donned a fancy little bowtie around his neck.

“What’s going on? And what’s with the bowtie?” Penny looked down, readjusting the tie. He looked back up at the boy.

“That’s for _me_ to know, and _you_ to find out, my friend. Follow me.” He turned and began walking towards the lake. While trailing behind, Sean took a moment to notice that the path was lined with lit candles. Before long, the two reached a large red tarp, which acted as a makeshift curtain. Sean looked up, seeing that it had been tied around the trees surrounding the clearing. He looked back to Penny, who in return gave a motion, signaling to him to call out.

 

“H-hello? Um… anyone… anyone there?” He heard someone shuffling around behind the curtain, before seeing Hannah’s head pop out through the side. Locking eyes with Sean, she popped back out of view before pulling the curtain back. On the other side, stood Finn facing away from Sean. “...Finn?” He pivoted quickly to face Sean, a big smile spread across his face. The two embraced, and Sean’s face settled into the crook of his neck, he noticed that Finn smelled… different, he smelled of cheap cologne. “What’s going on?” Finn placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

 

“Well, sweetheart, I thought it would be nice if I took you on our first official date.” Finn wrapped his arm around Sean’s shoulders, and the two started walking slowly. “All the others have spent the whole day helping me to make sure this is special. Even got your lil’ bro to help out as a distraction.” Sean snickered. _“Of course Finn got him to help,”_ he thought to himself, _“he’s got that kid wrapped around his finger, at this point.”_ As they walked further, Sean could see that in the distance, a blanket was set up on the ground with even more candles and the music speaker. He turned to Finn.

“Jesus, Finn,” he looked at the boy, “you… you didn’t have to go through all this hassle for me.” Finn looked back at him, raising his brow.

“Why not? I wanted to make it special for _you_.” As the two sat down, two more figures donning the same bowties as Hannah and Penny arrived. While Jacob served their “meal”, cans of store-brand non-descript cans of chicken noodle soup cooked over a campfire, Cassidy placed down solo cups and proceeded to pour water from the kitchen into them. She winked towards Sean, before leaving with Jacob. Sean picked up the cup, looking at it for a moment.

“What? You judging our fine china?” Finn cracked, smiling. Sean looked up.

“No, I actually kinda like it. Makes it feel more… casual.” The two sat there for hours, eating from their cans, taking sips from their cups all while talking and laughing together about whatever crossed their minds. Before they knew it, the night sky grew darker, the only source of light remaining being the candle that laid between them on the picnic blanket. Sean watched as Finn got onto his knees, signaling two thumbs ups to all the helpers. Finn settled back down as Sean watched them disperse, walking back to camp.

 

“So, honey, what did you think about your first official date?” Sean smiled meekly. “Thank you… for all of this. I know that this must have taken _a lot_ of time to plan and put together, so I just wanted you to know that… I appreciate it. All of it.” Finn smiled back.

“No problem. Nothing but the best for you, sweetie.” He scooted closer. “I was hoping that… one day, we could go out on an actual date. Like, in a fancy restaurant and shit… _alone_.”

 

Sean’s felt like he could burst into fire on the spot. His face felt hot, he could only awkwardly laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

They sat there for a while, fingers interlocked with each other. As they stared up into the night sky, the two kissed. With his head on Finn’s shoulder, Sean spoke aloud. “A second date… I think I’d like that a lot.”


	4. iv. Oh, What a World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Oh, what a world, don't wanna leave_   
>  _All kinds of magic all around us; it's hard to believe_   
>  _Thank God it's not too good to be true_   
>  _Oh, what a world, and then there is you_   
>  _Oh, and then there is you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know that this specific moment took place before anything was actually official between these two, but goddamnit, it’s too cute of a moment to not include in the story.

Inspiration: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hwRe7scRiY>

 

The two boys sat there for a while in total silence, watching the sunset. It was a hard day at the pot farm, Big Joe had been mouthing off to them about “not working hard enough”, whatever the hell that means. So, the two felt that there was no better way to end the day than staring at the sky, smoking. Finn silently plucked the joint from his lips and graciously offered it to Sean, who accepted. Finn let out a sigh, scratching his neck. He looked around for a moment.  _ “A damn beautiful day today.” _

With the birds chirping in the trees above them, the warmth of the sun, the calming sounds of the lake, it felt amazing. He looked to his left, to the boy next to him. Sean sat there, in the same silence, his head tilted up, joint hanging from the corner of his mouth. Finn smiled, heiked the way that the boy’s shaggy brown hair fell messily into his eyes, also brown.

Looking away from him, back towards the sunset, he chuckled to himself.

Finn decided that Sean had never looked as beautiful as he did at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but it seemed pretty subdued to begin with in Sean's journal.
> 
> Plus, the previous chapter was pretty lengthy, so I don't think y'all will mind _too much._


	5. v. Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Wish we didn't live, wish we didn't live so far from each other_   
>  _I'm just sitting here thinking 'bout the time that's slipping_   
>  _And missing my mother, mother_   
>  _And she's probably sitting there_   
>  _Thinking 'bout the time that's slipping_   
>  _And missing her mother, mother_

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnKvmHUy7B8 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnKvmHUy7B8)

 

For Sean, Mother’s Day was usually a… hard time, to say the least. He never liked the holiday, not after what happened, what…  _ she _ did to him, and Dad, and Daniel. That afternoon, Big Joe made his rounds delivering mail to each and every worker that had received something. What stood out however were three letters, directed towards Anders, Ingrid, and Jacob. The three of them had received letters from their family, their mothers in particular.

 

The group gathered around and listened as each read their letters allowed. The Swedes’ letters consisted of a lot of words in Swedish that the group didn’t understand. However, Ingrid was more than happy to translate. Jacob’s letter was much more subdued and laid back than that of Ingrid & Anders’, consisting mostly of well wishes and hopes for him to find his way back home. Everyone was thrilled for them. Everyone, except for Sean. After everyone had disbanded, doing whatever they had planned for the afternoon, Sean remained, sitting stoically on top of one of the logs. He sat there, deep in thought, until he felt a small hand tug on the back of his hoodie.

“...Sean?” He stood up, and without a word, walked over to the tent, closing himself inside of it.

 

He sat in quiet, stewing to himself until he felt a light tapping at the door. He sat up. “Who is it?”

“It’s Finn.” Slowly, Sean unzipped the flap, his eyes meeting with Finn’s.

“...Daniel isn’t… with you?”

“Nah, asked Hans to distract him. Do you… mind? If I came in there, with you?” Sean sat there for a few seconds, before opening the flap to him. He gingerly stepped in, sitting down and settling in as Sean zipped the tent back up. “So, why are you sitting here all alone?” Sean stared down, picking at the patches on his pant leg.

“Nothing. Just felt like being alone, that’s all.” Sean didn’t care much to so boldly lie in Finn’s face, preferring to keep his gaze down.

“Nah, I don’t believe that for a second,” Finn scoffed, “Daniel said that you were upset about  _ something _ before you came in here. What’s really going on with you, Sean?” Sean didn’t realize that Finn had scooted closer to him. He laid his hand on Sean’s thigh, squeezing softly. “You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t care.”

 

Sean took a deep breath in. “It’s just that… it’s nice. To see Jacob and Ingrid and Anders getting messages from their families, from their  _ moms _ . I just feel… I don’t know, jealous, maybe? I know that all of you have your own family problems, yet you’re all so…  _ accepting _ of what happened. I never really… had a good relationship with my mom. Hell, Daniel’s never even met her, and yet she’s all that he thinks about, all he wants to know about and find.”

“That’s not the only reason… is it?” Sean inhaled sharply.

“...I hate her, you know. I hate her  _ so much _ ,” Sean continued to look down, refusing to lock eyes with Finn. “I hate her for leaving my Dad with me and Daniel. He took on the burden of raising us, both of us all alone in a world that hated us for who we were. I hate her for leaving Claire and Stephen, leaving them with so much pain and confusion.” He felt a lump rise up in his throat. “But… through all of it, I miss her. I miss her so much, I wish that… I wish she was still here, with me, and Daniel and Dad. If she were here, things would’ve been different.  _ Better _ .” He sat there for a moment, before feeling Finn take him in his arms.

“Sweetie, it’s alright. You have all right to feel that way, nobody’s stopping you. Just know that we’re all here for you and Daniel. We care about you.  _ I _ care about you.”

Sean returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Finn. Finn softly stroked his hair, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He let his tears fall, crying softly into Finn’s shoulder. Sean cried for a number of reasons. For his father, who dedicated his whole life to making sure he and Daniel turned out right, up until the very end. For Claire and Stephen, who even after all the confusion and heartbreak with Karen’s absence, took Sean and Daniel in by the kindness of their hearts. For himself and Daniel, for growing stronger, even with the absence of their mother. And for Karen herself, wherever she might be.


	6. vi. Love Is a Wild Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Running like a river tryna find the ocean_   
>  _Flowers in the concrete_   
>  _Climbing over fences, blooming in the shadows_   
>  _Places that you can't see_   
>  _Coming through the melody when the night bird sings_   
>  _Love is a wild thing_

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwrxzuD2zsc ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwrxzuD2zsc)

 

Once again, Sean and Finn sat side-by-side, staring at the sun as it set in the sky. A much-needed moment of quiet, after the long and tedious day at work. They talked for a little bit, before sinking into a comfortable silence. One questioned that Finn asked weighed heavily on Sean’s mind.

“So, did you ever have your eyes on anyone else? Back in Seattle, I mean.” The question took Sean by surprise. Finn was never one to really ask him about his life back in Seattle, knowing about all the painful memories that thinking about it brought back. He told him that there was one girl, Jenn.

 

It was… an interesting feeling, thinking back to Jenn.  _ “What if?” _ he thought to himself. What if he had gone to that Halloween party with Lyla, and got to know Jenn better. Could there have been…  _ something _ between them? The idea of dating Jenn, eventually getting married, settling down and having children, their children having children, growing old together. It sounded… nice, normal. But after all that he had been through, traveling the world, meeting so many people like Brody and the crew, normal felt… boring. Sure, he could live a nice life settling down with Jenn, working at a nice job in a nice house in a nice city, but here with Finn, every day felt like a new adventure, and honestly, there’s nothing else Sean wanted.

“What are you thinkin’ ‘bout?” Sean turned his head, his eyes meeting with Finn’s. He had an amused, yet thoughtful expression on his face as if he were missing out on a joke.

Sean smiles, before kissing him. “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”


	7. vii. Happy & Sad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Is there a word for the way that I'm feeling tonight?_   
>  _Happy and sad at the same time_   
>  _You got me smiling with tears in my eyes_   
>  _I never felt so high_   
>  _No, I've never been this far off of the ground_   
>  _And they say everything that goes up must come down_   
>  _But I don't wanna come down_

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5oIvfraRrU ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5oIvfraRrU)

 

The sinking feeling in Sean’s chest had been getting worse and worse over the last couple of days. Sure, he was having the time of his life being with Finn. Whether it was their walks around camp and through the woods, the way they helped each other with chores, how Finn was slow while teaching Sean what little information he knew himself about whittling, and much, much more. But somewhere in the corners of his mind, Sean felt… nervous. He swore that every once in a while, he could see Hannah eyeing them up, Finn in particular.

 

_ "Surely,” _ he thought to himself,  _ “Hannah probably doesn’t mean anything by it, right? She probably isn’t even looking over  _ here _ anyway.” _ Sean tried long and hard to convince himself that it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He kept telling himself not to believe his eyes, and yet…

Later that night, everyone sat around the fire, hooting and hollering about a job well done today at Merrill’s farm. After the party’s loud music and booze faded away, with everybody passed out drunk or in their own private conversations off to the side, only Sean and Finn remained. Sean stared into the fire, listening as Finn hummed a song to himself. After a few minutes, he felt a familiar arm around his shoulder.

“What do you say, sweetie?”

“Huh?” Sean looked up from the fire to the boy next to him.

Finn frowned. “I was gonna ask if you were ready to call it a night or not, but I feel like I need to ask if everything’s alright instead. You good, lil’ pup?”

Sean tried to suppress his surprise, to no avail. “I-I’m fine, just… feeling tired after a long day of work.”

Finn let out a clicking sound. “Sean, I’m serious. What’s going on?”

 

Sean took in a deep breath. “It’s just that… I feel like… Hannah’s been staring at us a whole bunch. And it’s making me feel a little… nervous, maybe? Like I’m not enough? I know that you two used to be… you know… fuckbuddies and all, and I get the feeling sometimes that you’ll get bored of me and… go… back to her.” He sat there for a moment, feeling his heart fall out of his ass when he heard Finn burst into laughter.

He turned to the laughing boy, looking him deep in his eyes. Finn quickly stifled his laughter. “Oh, Sean you’re… oh.” Finn sighed, before placing his hand on Sean’s knee, squeezing slightly. “Sean… that arrangement I had with Hans in the past, that means nothing now. Sure, we had our fun, but you mean  _ everything _ to me now. I wouldn’t just… up and leave you like that. Promise.” Finn looked over to Hannah, deep in conversation with Cassidy. “Plus, you know how Hans is. Even if she was staring at us, she probably didn’t mean anything by it.” Finn shifted, scooting himself closer to the other boy.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m here for you. ‘Til the end and shit is what we agreed on, right?” Sean smiles, scooting closer to Finn.

“Yeah, man,” he placed his head on Finn’s shoulder, the other boy doing the same thing on top of his head, “to the end and shit.”


	8. viii. Velvet Elvis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You're my velvet Elvis, I ain't never gonna take you down_   
>  _Making everybody jealous when they step into my house_   
>  _Soft to the touch, feels like love, knew it as soon as I felt it_   
>  _You're my velvet Elvis, baby_

Inspiration: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsOe_K3UR0M ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsOe_K3UR0M)

 

Finn sat on the log, his elbow on his right thigh, chin in his hand. He stared off into the distance, before turning to the other boy. “Sean, how much longer do I have to sit here for?” Sean looked up from his sketchbook.

“I told you already, hold still! I’m almost done.” Before he could finish, Finn was already up, grabbing for the book. He shrieked. “Finn! FINN! I’m serious, sit back down, or else I’ll-,” as menacing as he tried to sound, Finn couldn’t take Sean seriously when he was “threatening” him through snort-filled laughter.

“Or else you’ll what?” he sat back down, reassuming his previous position. He felt a sense of satisfaction, seeing Sean put so much focus into something. After a few more minutes, Sean officially announced he finished his little art project. Leaping up from his seat, Sean embraced Finn, before laying two kisses; one on his cheek, and one on the lips.

Finn stood there, confused for a moment, before smiling, cupping his cheek in his hand. _“If that’s payment for modeling for him,”_ he thought to himself, _“I should be doing this more often.”_ He smiled to himself, before walking off to find Daniel.

Sean slipped into his tent, sitting down on the floor. He chose a spot on the tent wall, taping his latest drawing up there. Sitting back, he looked at the collection of drawings that had collected all over his tent walls. He smiled, thinking to himself. _“It’s no Louvre or MoMA, but I think it’s just as good.”_


	9. ix. Wonder Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You don't know how to fly, no mmh_   
>  _That's okay, neither do I_
> 
> _I know I ain't Wonder Woman_   
>  _I don't know how to lasso the love out of you_   
>  _Don't you know I'm only human?_   
>  _And if I let you down, I don't mean to_   
>  _All I need's a place to land_   
>  _I don't need a Superman to win my lovin'_   
>  _'Cause, baby, I ain't Wonder Woman_   
>  _Yeah I know I ain't Wonder Woman_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of Chapter 3, Butterflies

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYm0g2oxdUw ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYm0g2oxdUw)

 

Finn reached into his pocket, reading the note again. “Meet me by the lake for a surprise,” he read aloud to himself. Chuckling, he pocketed the note before continuing down the path. Before long, he reached the clearing, spotting Sean in the distance. “Hey, sweetie!”

The boy flinched at the sudden distraction, before turning his head. “Oh, Finn!” Getting up, he walked towards Finn.

“What’s all this for?” Finn chuckled, looking at the setup Sean was working on.

“ _ This _ ,” he turned around, showing off his work, “is our plan for tonight. I’ve planned a date, for us.”

“Sean, how long did it take you to plan all this?” Sean brushed the hair from his face.

“Honestly? Not that long, but I wanted to do something special for you, like you did for me.” Taking Finn’s hand, Sean led him to their seats.

 

They sat peacefully for a few moments. The two talked for a few short minutes before the first of the bugs buzzed around Sean’s ear. He swatted it away, before attempting to return to his conversation with Finn. But before long, two more came, and after that, four more. Finn cocked his brow.

“You know, we can move somewhere else if the bugs are bothering you.”

Sean smiled, swatting at a bug on his neck in a not-so-subtle manner. “W-what? No, everything is fine, I’m fine. Let’s just stay here.” The bugs left them alone soon after that. What remained, however, were the bites. The annoying,  _ extremely itchy _ bites. Sean smiled through the pain, and the two continued talking a little bit longer. After a while, the two felt that they had fallen into a comfortable spot. Sean tried spreading out, shifting his leg all the way out -- knocking over the candle in the process.

 

“S-Sean! The candle!” The two of them flew up, standing there for a few seconds in stunned silence while looking at the blanket burning. “The water! Sean, throw it in the water!”

Sean grabbed the blanket quickly, before rushing over to the lake. “Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit,” with the grace of a high school quarterback, he tossed the flaming blanket into the water, watching it extinguish itself in the water. He stood there, looking at the blanket float off into the middle of the lake, before sinking his head into his hands. “God, this is so…  _ fuck! _ ” he groaned. Finn walked up behind him slowly, wrapping his arm around his shoulder, chuckling.

“Don’t worry, lil’ pup, we can get that blanket back, it ain’t going nowhere.”

“It’s not that, I just- goddamnit.” He kept his face in his hands. “I spent the whole day setting all of this up, all alone. I was too scared to ask for help, but you can see how that turned out. I’m sorry this is such a mess, I-” he felt the other boy’s arm move from his shoulders. Finn turned Sean to face him before taking his face in his own hands. Sean looked at him for a few seconds, before Finn placed their foreheads together.

“I-”

“Sean, just listen to me for a moment. I don’t care how tonight went; to me, it was great. I got to spend the night with you, didn’t I? That counts as a  _ perfect _ date. By my standards, at least.” Moving his head, Finn brushed Sean’s hair from his forehead, before placing a kiss there. Sean stood there for a moment, before returning the favor, kissing Finn on the lips. They remained there for a while, taking up each other’s space. They parted, Sean letting out a small chuckle. 

“Now, let’s head back to my tent. I got some itch cream that you can use for them their bug bites.”

This time, Sean let out a laugh. “Thanks, I’d appreciate that a lot.”


	10. x. High Horse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And I think we've seen enough, seen enough_   
>  _To know that you ain't ever gonna come down_   
>  _So, why don't you giddy up, giddy up_   
>  _And ride straight out of this town_   
>  _You and your high horse_   
>  _You and your high horse_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a instances of homophobic language, reclaimed and otherwise

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUl_QQAj_oA ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUl_QQAj_oA)

 

Sean and Finn sat in the back of Big Joe’s truck, making their way to the farm. It had been a fantastic night, Finn and the rest of the crew had successfully convinced Merrill to give him and Daniel their jobs back, and to celebrate the occasion, they hosted a small party for the brothers. Later that night, Sean had found time to sneak out of his tent and into Finn’s where he slept instead. Everyone piled out of the truck on arrival. The two boys walked side-by-side, holding hands all the while. Out of the corner of his eye, Sean felt like he could see someone, Big Joe, maybe, sneering at them. “Weird.” he thought to himself, ultimately ignoring it. The group gathered in the greenhouse, Merrill standing front and center.

“Good morning everyone, two teams today. Cassidy, Finn, Sean, Hannah, you’re all on trimming duty. Everyone else, you’ll be working here in the greenhouse today.”

“Hear that, Sean,” Finn whispered to the boy beside him, “looks like we get to work  _ together _ today.” Sean shushed him and playfully punched him in the arm, which Finn rubbed in feigned pain.

“Alright! Get to work!”

 

The group sat in the small room, trimming weed buds, talking and joking, listening to the radio. Near the end of the day, Cassidy’s voice chimed.

“So, what is everyone planning on doing when we get back to camp?”

Hannah scoffed. “I’m in charge of dish duty tonight, so I won’t be doing much.”

Cassidy turned her head to Sean and Finn. “What about you two? Got anything special planned?”

Sean smiled, putting the bud and scissors in his hands down before placing his hands down on the table. “We’re planning on hiking around the area. It was supposed to be only us, but Daniel sorta… invited himself to join us. Still, it’ll be fun.”

Finn placed his own hands on top of Sean’s. “ _ Definitely _ . There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you, Sean.”

Cassidy smiled. “D’aw, that’s so cute, I-”  but before she could finish her sentence, a loud, booming voice broke through.

“Come _ ON _ , can you two  _ please _ cut that  **_faggot_ ** shit out for one goddamn minute.”

Everyone sat there in stunned silence, before speaking up. “...What did you just say?” It was Hannah, who slowly rose out of her seat, despite her best attempts to stop her.

“I said,” Big Joe stood up fast, knocking his chair to the floor, “cut that  **_faggot_ ** shit out right now.”

It was Cassidy who stood up this time, joining Hannah in getting in Big Joe’s face. Sean and Finn remained still. Finn stared down at the table with a scowl on his face, Sean’s hand on his knee. He was trying to hold him in place. After a few minutes of back and forth arguing and yelling, the door to the living room creaked open.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Everyone turned to Merrill, who stood in the doorway.

“Big Joe is saying rude shit to Sean and Finn, just ‘cause they’re together.”

Merrill cocked his brow, turning to Big Joe. “Joseph, is any of this true?”

Big Joe crossed his arms. “They’re overreacting, I was just-”

Merrill cut him off. “In my office,  _ now _ .” Big Joe sputtered in disbelief, before throwing his hands in the air. He murmured something under his breath, no doubt directed towards Sean and Finn, before leaving behind the door.

 

Later that night, they all sat around the campfire. Despite their best efforts to move past what had happened earlier, Big Joe’s words weighed heavily on their minds.

“So,” Finn scooted closer to Sean, “that the first time someone’s called you a fag before?”

Sean looked to the other boy. “Kinda? Don’t think I’ve ever been called… that before, but I’ve dealt with that kind of shit before.” Finn looked at him, in a sort of way that said:  _ “Go ahead, you can tell me.” _ Sean sighed. “Back when I was in middle school, there was this one boy. His name was Thomas, and he was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. It also helped that he was cute,” Sean chuckled to himself, looking into the fire. “I really liked him, like really, really liked him, and I think he… he felt the same. There was this one time in science class. We got paired together to dissect frogs ‘n’ shit, and we were just so happy to be spending time together.” Sean rubbed the back of his neck. “The other kids, they… they were throwing the frog guts at us, saying all sorts of rude things. Y’know, typical middle school shit. Tom didn’t care though, he just… was so unbothered by it all, kept telling me not to listen to them and all that” Sean smiled, wiping a tear from his eye. “A couple of days later, the other kids beat the shit out of him in the bathroom. His family moved away soon after that, and I never saw him again. I… didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Finn rubbed Sean’s back with his free hand. “Sean, I’m so sorry.”

“It  **_sucks_ ** .” Everyone looked up to Cassidy whilst she stared into the campfire, strumming the same few chords over and over again. “Merrill’s probably trying hard to get Big Joe to cut that shit out, but he ain’t gonna listen.”

The group sat in quiet contemplation before Sean spoke up. “We can’t stop him from saying things like that, but… we can at least get back at him for doing it.” He stared off into the distance, looking at Daniel playing with the dog.

 

The very next day, the plan went off without a hitch, right down to Daniel being grouped up with them for trimming duty. After a few minutes of getting into the groove of cutting, Sean leaned over to his brother, whispering something to him. Daniel giggled, and nodded to Sean. Sean leaned forward, blocking his brother from Big Joe’s view. After a few moments, the sound of splintering wood filled the room, and before they knew it, Big Joe was sprawled on the floor.

Merrill re-entered the room, enticed by the sound of something breaking and the laughter of his workers. “Jesus Christ what’s going on now-” he looked down, seeing Big Joe sprawled on the floor and the workers dying of laughter. Merrill clicked his tongue in disapproval, before disappearing behind the door. Big Joe scowled at the group, before leaving to find another chair for himself.

Sean smiled to himself, thinking back to their final conversation last night. 

“You sure Daniel’s gonna go through with this?” Hannah inquired, joining Sean in watching Daniel. He ran back and forth, the dog chasing him all the while.

“Of course he will, why wouldn’t he? He hates Big Joe almost as much as us.”

Cassidy spoke up. “What’s this plan of yours anyway?”

Sean smirked. “We can’t stop him from saying dumb shit to me and Finn, so what’s the next best thing? We’re gonna get back at him, humiliate him in front of everyone, including Merrill.”

Finn grabbed Sean’s leg. “Fuckin’ A! I’d love to get back at that asshole.”

And with that, their plan was in place. Sean stood up and stretched. “Daniel!” The boy looked up from the dog. “Come over here for a second, I got something to ask you…”


	11. xi. Golden Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Baby, don't you know?_   
>  _That you're my golden hour, the color of my sky_   
>  _You've set my world on fire_   
>  _And I know, I know everything's gonna be alright_

Inspiration:  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maONL_HfI20 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maONL_HfI20)

 

Their first encounter repeated in Sean’s mind. He was listening to Cassidy’s performance, he tipped her a dollar. After conversing for a small bit, another voice broke through.

“Sorry, we went through some shit with the guys… How much did you make? You ready?” One look at the boy was all it took for Sean’s intrigue to peak. His tattoos, his hair, the way he spoke, the way he dressed, everything about him holding a place in Sean’s mind.

He remembered how  _ scared _ he and Daniel were. When they were forced away from Claire and Stephen, on the run from the police. They were downright terrified, what would they eat? Where would they sleep? Sean had decided to take the two drifter’s advice and try train hopping, hoping to find an easy way to Puerto Lobos doing so. When they met up with them again, on the same train car they hopped on no less, all those fears seemed to dissipate.

 

“Sean.” Sean’s eyes snapped open. He looked around for a moment, he was no longer in that cold, dingy train car. Sean lied in Finn’s tent, the blue-green walls a welcome sight to him. “What are you thinking ‘bout now?”

Sean looked over to him, their eyes meeting. “I’m thinking… about us.” Finn cocked his brow, pursing his lips. “It’s just that…  _ you _ … and Cassidy, me and Daniel met you two at such a scary time. We were on the run from the cops, we didn’t know what would happen to us when we had to leave our grandparents. Where would we have gone? Puerto Lobos is so far away, still, and I didn’t think that Daniel had it in him to keep moving from place to place. But then, we found you guys again. You took us in, let us stay even when you could’ve just left us when we needed you most.” Sean could practically  _ feel _ the silence in the tent. He closed his eyes. “I wanted to thank  _ you _ most, Finn. You’ve… always been so nice to me and Daniel. He looks up to you so much, it’s kind of scary at times. And this  _ thing _ between us. I just… I wanted to thank you. For everything.”

Finn smiled, “You’re welcome, Sean. That… means a lot coming from you.” He shifted closer to him. “But, dude. That’s…  _ pretty gay _ .”

Sean sat up quickly. “Sh-shut up! You’re the one who was flirting first,  _ Gaylord _ .” He playfully shoved Finn, who pretended to be hurt over the sudden push. The two burst into laughter. “But, for real. Thank you, Finn. You don’t know how much this has all meant to me. I… I love you.” He scooted closer to Finn, who wrapped his arms around him.

“Heh, love you too, lil’ pup.”


	12. xii. Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Well the sky has finally opened_   
>  _The rain and wind stopped blowin'_   
>  _But you're stuck out in the same ol' storm again_   
>  _You hold tight to your umbrella_   
>  _Well, darlin', I'm just tryin' to tell ya_   
>  _That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head_

Inspiration:  [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSEnvguvuK0 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSEnvguvuK0)

 

Finn walked back to his tent, still soaking wet from the lake. He had decided to go swimming with Cassidy and Hannah, offering Sean and Daniel the chance to come along. Daniel eagerly accepted. Sean, on the other hand, said he didn’t feel like swimming that night. They were fine with this, Daniel most definitely was. Sean was shy, they all knew that, so they decided to just give him space while they enjoyed themselves. He walked to his tent, intending to grab a towel to dry himself off, but while walking past the other tents, he heard… something. He walked a bit forward, hearing it again, closer this time. It sounded like it was coming from Sean and Daniel’s tent. As he inched closer to the tent, he could see that part of the flap wasn’t zipped up. He cautiously looked in. Inside was Sean, his back turned to Finn. He was hunched over, his shoulders bobbing up and down as he cried, Finn could see he was holding something close to his chest.

“...Sean?” He flinched at the sudden intrusion. Frantically wiping his tears, he pocketed what he was holding, a photo, into the front pocket of his sweatshirt. “J-Just wait a sec, I’ll be right back!” Finn quickly rushed off to his tent, grabbing a towel and drying his hair and upper body. 

He returned, seeing Sean still wiping away tears in his eyes. “I-I’m fine, Finn. Really, you don’t have to worry.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if I came in then?”

Sean gulped, before unzipping the flap of his tent, allowing Finn inside.

 

Finn sat down, his eyes settling on Sean. “What’s going on? Why’re you all sad and shit in here for?”

Sean sat there for a moment, staring down at his own hands, twiddling his thumbs. Before long, he reached back into his front pocket, pulling the photo back out. He handed it to Finn.

“Shit, this your daddy?”

Sean nodded. “I don’t think I… ever told any of you what he was like.”

“We just… kinda thought you’d tell us when you were ready.”

“He was a great man. After Karen left us… left  _ him _ , he worked hard to make sure Daniel and I had a good life. He was  _ so _ kind, and smart, and funny, and… and…” Tears started spilling down Sean’s cheeks. _ ”I fucked it all up so bad.” _

Finn placed the photo of Esteban to the side. “What do you mean?”

Sean’s lip trembled, breathing heavily. “If I had just paid attention to Daniel and his stupid zombie blood… then he wouldn’t have gone outside and pissed off Brett… I wouldn’t have gotten into a fight with him, that officer would’ve never came, dad would have never tried to come out and explain everything, and… and…”

Sean felt Finn wrap around him. That was what set him off, he broke down completely. He threw his face into Finn’s shoulder. “Sean… you can’t just blame yourself for that shit back in Seattle. How would you have known that… all of  _ that _ would’ve happened? It’s… not your fault.” Sean let out a hoarse sob, whilst Finn rubbed circles into the small of his back, kissing the top of his head and whispering sweet words of assurance into his ear. “Here, come with me, you can sleep in my tent tonight, if you want.”

Sean’s face rose up from Finn’s shoulder. “A-are you sure?” he wiped tears from his eye, “what about Daniel?”

Finn cupped Sean’s face in his hand, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb. “I’m sure he won’t mind you being away for  _ one night _ . Come on, let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took a _long time_ to finish now, didn’t it? I just wanted to thank everyone that was so supportive along the way; everyone who showed interest in the idea on Tumblr, all those who left kind comments and kudos, and the Fean Squad Discord server, for always being so kind, for giving me great advice for how to advance with the way of releasing chapters, and for giving me much-needed praise during the beginnings of my writing.
> 
> _Golden Hour_ , the album, means so much to me. It’s honestly crazy, someone like me who isn’t a fan of country music at all falling in love with a country pop album. But the impact this album has had on me is truly undeniable, it’s the first time I’ve listened to something that was just so awe-inspiring and beautiful. I found it at a time in my life where I felt so down on myself, I felt like nothing was going right and that I would never find happiness in anything. I guess you could say that it’s become a huge comfort album of mine. There is not one track on _Golden Hour_ that doesn't make me incredibly happy in one way or another (even the one I left out, Space Cowboy, because it was too sad for the type of story I wanted to tell between these two).
> 
> When Episode 3 of Life is Strange 2 came around, the whole dynamic I had with this album shifted. All the songs, from the beginning to end reminded me of Sean and Finn. The themes of love towards oneself and another person, self-reflection, acceptance, growth, hope, posteriety, recovery, healing, so on and so forth. Everything about this album fit so well with the narrative that I wanted to portray in this fic, the narrative that I felt fit so perfectly with the relationship between Sean and Finn.  
> I hope you all had as good of a time reading this story as I did writing it. Trust and believe, this is not the end for me. I have something else that I’m cooking up that I’m sure you will all really like. I’m looking forward to releasing it, keep an eye out! ;)


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